Lesson 1: Ordinary Moments, Extraordinary Stories, Part 1

Turn and Talk

Introduce students to the unit by asking them to identify hopes and fears they have around their middle school experience. Then, lead a brief discussion with the large group.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following question:

• Ask: What hopes and concerns do you have about middle school? Do you think your classmates feel the same way?

  • I’m excited about the new classes and teachers, but I’m worried about being able to keep up with the work. Some of my friends feel that way, too.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: The stories we read can connect us to characters and help us feel seen and less alone in our experiences. Today, we will read an article in which the authors explain why your own story matters. As we read, we will think about the article’s central idea and how your own story matters.

Part A: Ordinary Moments: “Love Your Stories” (RI.6.1, RI.6.2) (15 minutes)

Explain to students that some of the experiences they have had in their own lives connect to ideas of belonging, identity, and small moments. Tell students that this unit centers on moments that may seem ordinary at first but eventually reveal something meaningful about who we are.

• Say: The experiences we have in our day-to-day lives shape how we see the world. The things that happen to us affect how we think about who we are, how we belong, and how we fit into our communities. We develop these ideas through small, everyday moments.

• Ask: What is something that seemed small when it happened but is now an important memory? How did that moment shape you?

Pause for students to discuss. Prompt them with ideas about the people they know, where they have gone to school, where they live, and the things they like and do every day.

• Say: The article we are about to read explores a similar idea. As we read, think about the message the text wants the reader to understand about telling their own stories.

Teach: Class Read and Prep for Graffiti/Table Talk

Say these Directions: As you read “Love Your Stories” as a class, think about the following question: What is the message this text communicates about ordinary moments and telling your own story?

Pause and ask students to turn and talk about lines that feel especially important. When the class has finished reading:

• Ask: What is one central idea about this article? How does the text develop this idea? Which quotation supports it?

  • The central idea is that ordinary moments can become meaningful stories. The article develops this idea by sharing quotes from authors describing how small or everyday moments shaped them. For example, Jason Reynolds says, “I’m not an exceptional person. There’s nothing special about me. I just knew early on in life that my story mattered,” which suggests that everyone has a story worth telling, and they don’t need to be special or out of the ordinary to tell it.

Have students write their ideas about what makes a story meaningful as they prepare for Graffiti/Table Talk.

• Say: Now respond to this question: What makes a story meaningful?

  • A story is meaningful when I care about the characters I am reading about and when something interesting happens to them. There also has to be enough description to picture what is happening.

Part B: Making Stories Meaningful (SL.6.1) (15 minutes)

By now, students should have generated some ideas about the central message of "Love Your Stories” and what makes stories meaningful, based on their own ideas and their reading of the article.

Explain that students will continue building their understanding by sharing ideas and responding to their classmates’ thinking.

Graffiti/Table Talk

Guide students in Graffiti/Table Talk, inviting them to express their ideas and respond to their classmates’ thoughts. Have students perform as many rounds of reading and response as time allows.

Say these Directions: Work in a group to reread part of “Love Your Stories.” Then, respond to the questions, following up on your classmates’ responses when you want to hear more about their ideas.

• Ask: What makes the plot of a story meaningful?

  • A story’s plot is meaningful when the events are connected and help show something important about a character’s experiences, thoughts, or growth. Meaning doesn’t just come from what happens, but from why it matters and what it reveals about the character or their story.

Pause during the discussion and encourage students to reflect on the article's central idea and their own experiences as readers and writers as they talk.

• Ask: What have you noticed about what makes stories meaningful? What similarities do you notice in your classmates’ reflections?

  • A relatable experience or memory can make a story a lot more meaningful. We have agreed that we are more likely to read more when we can identify with a moment and connect it to something that has happened in our own lives.

This section gives students the chance to collaboratively explore what makes a story meaningful. By discussing ideas with peers, they deepen their understanding of the article’s central message while practicing oral language and evidence-based responses. Emphasize that students should respond to ideas, not people. Offer support to multilingual learners with sentence frames and descriptive language.

Quick Write

This wrap-up reinforces reflection on personal connections to the text and ties back to the Essential Question about sharing stories. Prompt students to focus on one line that resonates personally and explain why, modeling evidence-based reflection without requiring extensive writing.

Say these Directions: Review what you read in “Love Your Stories.” Then answer the question:

• Ask: What line from “Love Your Stories” did you personally connect with the most? Why?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “The line from ‘Love Your Stories’ that I personally connected with the most is ____. I feel this way because ____.”

    • The line from “Love Your Stories” that I personally connected with the most is “Write your rats. Write the little ugly things, the markers of where you are from . . .” I feel this way because the line makes me realize my writing doesn’t have to be pretty, perfect, or beautiful to be good.

Introduce students to their Journal. Instruct them to use their Journal to address the following prompt:

• Why do you think people write stories?